03/16/2026
No one talks enough about what abuse does to the body.
Long after the relationship ends, the body can still stay in survival mode.
Some survivors call it “bracing.”
Holding tension in your shoulders.
Clenching your hands.
Feeling like something bad might happen even when everything is quiet.
Your body learned to protect you.
That instinct doesn’t disappear overnight.
Melissa describes this moment in the grocery store when she realized her hands were gripping the cart so tightly they felt like stone.
Even though the danger was gone, her body was still preparing for it.
That realization is something many survivors recognize.
Healing takes time.
And sometimes it begins with simply noticing.
🎙 Hear Melissa’s full story on Brave Hearts Speak, her episode releases on March 18th. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Save this if it speaks to something your body understands.
